Melody is wildlife reserve’s one in a million
YOUNG nature fan Melody King visited a wildlife reserve for a spot of bird watching – and found herself the focus of attention.
Melody, 13, from Easington in County Durham, was the millionth visitor to the RSPB Saltholme reserve on Teesside,
The vision for the nature reserve and visitor centre, when it first opened its doors 15 years ago, was to create a flagship project that would not only rejuvenate the landscape but also rekindle the connection between people and nature.
Melody was presented with a bird nesting box as she visited with her parents and family members.
Her father, Barry King, said, “We have loved our visit and it’s a place we will return to again and again. We can enjoy family time here away from the distractions of mobile phones and the chance to see rare birds up close has been brilliant.
“We’re delighted to be part of this milestone and grateful for the conservation efforts that make this nature reserve such a special place.
Melody is going to really enjoy watching the birds nesting once the box goes up in our garden.”
Chris Francis, who is senior site manager at Saltholme, was previously curator at WWT Washington Wetland Centre on Wearside, project manager at Scotswood Community Garden in Newcastle and a lecturer in environment and conservation at Houghall College in Durham.
He said: “I’ve been with the reserve since 2018 and it has been a privilege to work with such a dedicated conservation team and with over 100 volunteers.
“Welcoming our one millionth visitor is an incredible achievement and we’re all delighted our visitors love this place as much as we do.
“Whether you just have a curiosity about nature, have a keen interest in bird watching or simply want to relax and walk one of the many trails here and have some family fun, visitors will find so much to enjoy.
“Despite the successes though, we are still facing a nature and climate emergency and we need to do even more in the next 15 years to support the recovery of nature and wildlife.”
Today Saltholme is a haven for thousands of birds, including the elusive and threatened bittern, Britain’s loudest bird, and whose successful breeding on site in 2022 marked a pivotal moment in conservation efforts on Teesside.
The reserve’s reedbeds are home to water rails, reed buntings and reed warblers while other species such as nesting avocets, thrive on the site’s pools, wet grasslands and meadow.
Saltholme has one of the UK’s largest inland breeding colonies of common tern, which nest on the cockleshell-covered islands.
The wet grasslands are home to nationally important numbers of wintering wildfowl and waders, including golden plover, lapwing and wigeon.
The multi-million-pound ecovisitor centre houses a café and gift shop and trails lead across the thousand-acre site to visitor hides.
Saltholme is a triple Visit England Gold Award Winner, and VisitEngland chief executive Patricia Yates said: “It is great to see Saltholme reaching this significant milestone, the North East has so much to offer visitors and with its reputation for a friendly welcome it’s not surprising RSPB Saltholme has won so many awards.
“We congratulate the team for the fantastic job it is doing.”